When everyone is talking about Kodak and Fujifilm, let’s not forget about AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400!

Such a long name…

As far as I know, AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400 is different from it’s original film called Agfa Vista 400 from the Agfa company.

Agfa Company

Agfa company went broke because of digital ‘invasion’ most probably, and sold the company. It was renamed as Agfa Photo. The original name of ‘Agfa Vista 400’ is also renamed to ‘AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400’. Although the name looks very similar, which have had me confused for a while, the new AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400 is not the same as the old one.

The material is completely different because it is repackaged from another manufacturer. For those who have been using AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400, don’t you think your photos look similar to Fujfilm Superia Xtra 400?

At least I think so.

Nonetheless, many sources have stated that AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400 film is using Fujifilm’s material.

I always get this film from Taobao because it’s only SGD3+ per roll!

AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400

Overexposing

The picture above was shot around evening time and I vividly remember the setting was f/2.8, 1/60. Clearly, it’s overexposing the shot by so many stops.

But look at it! Beautiful right? If I am willing to edit, I believe I can achieve the Japanese-vibe look.

The good thing about film is that you can overexpose it over many stops up and not worry about blowing away shadows and highlight.

Exposing well

When exposing the film as it should be, this Vista 400 also gives colourful and vibrant look.

Grains

To me, grains in film photo is not a main concern. But if you insist, I would say the grains of this Vista film is very fine considering the ISO of 400.

This batch of films had been through x-ray at least twice but the grains are still fine. So, don’t worry about bringing your films for your travel, as long as you hand-carry them.

Overall

All in all, this film gives warmer effect, with more sensitivity towards red. That’s why you can see that anything that is red in the picture is enhanced.

As its film speed is 400, this film is very suitable to be used in day-to-day photography, such as traveling, casual events, and on the street.

If you want to shoot portrait, I think it’s better to use Kodak Portra or Fuji Pro 400H because these two films give the skin tones a more natural look. Vista is quite inconsistent for the skin tones as it can sometimes give the face a reddish look.

Do I like this film?

Absolutely. It is cheap and give decent colours. But if I am doing serious work (seldom), I prefer to use Fuji Pro 400H.

You can view more sample photos of AgfaPhoto Vista Plus 400 here.

 

Or Start Here.

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